Piston and piston ring



VI. H. SULLIVAN.

PISTON ANQ PISTON RING. APPLICATxoN FILED ocr.31.192|.

Patnted Oct. 211 1922.

l'iO

leateiited @et 24, i922..

llSTON AND IPISTON RING.

Application filed october 31, 3.921.

To all 'whom may conce/"n:

Be it known that ll, MICHAEL H. SULLIVAN, a citizen of the United States, residing at Poughkeepsie, in the county of Dutchess and State ofNew York, have invented cer- My invention relates to improvements in.

pistons and piston rings and has for its principal object to improve uponA the construction disclosed in'my United States application, Serial No. 475,543, tiled on or about June 6th', 1921. When installing the improved rings upon comparatively small pistons, it was found impracticable to groove the ring sections in the manner disclosed. by the application just referred to, due to the fact that the relatively narrow rings would thus be excessively weakened. llt is the aim of the present invention therefore to provide a construction which will be equally as efficient as that previously contemplated, without the necessity of grooving the rings, it being merely necessary to provide the meeting ends; of the ring sections with communicating recesses which receive a portion of the sealing block or blocks.

`With the foregoing in view, the invention resides in the novel subject matter herein after described and claimed, the descriptive matter being supplemented by the accompanying drawing.

Figure 1 is a side elevation showing a piston equipped with the improved features.

Figure 2 is a horizontal sectional view as indicated by line 2-2 of Fig. 1.

Figure 3 is a vert-ical sectional view on line 3-3 of Fig. 1.

Figure 4 is a perspective view of one of the sealing blocks.

lln the drawings above briefly described, the numeral 1 designates a piston provided with a suitable number of piston ring grooves. l have shown three of these grooves provided with common snap-rings 2 and a fourth groove l3 with which tie improved features of construction are associated, said groove 3 being located at the head of the piston. l

At diametrically opposite points, l have shown one side wall ofthe groove 3 provided seriai in. 511,910.

with shallow circumferentially elongated recesses 4 which extend throughout the depth ofthe grooves. The ring which is received in the groove 3 is formed, as here shown, of two semi-circular sections 5') forced radially outward by a single coil spring 6. The meeting ends of the ring sections 5 are formed with communicating recesses 7 which open through the periphery of the ring and through the side of the latter facing the recesses 4, said recesses G preferably extending throughout about one-half of the axial width of the piston ring and throughout sllghtly more than half the radial width of the ring. The inner walls 7 of the recesses 7 constitute shoulders to bear against a pair of sealing blocks 8. 'll`wo of these blocks are employed, each block occupying one of the recesses 4 and the adjacent recesses 7, the proportions being such that while the blocks 8 are snugly received in the recesses, they may move therein sufficiently to cause the shoulders 7 to thrust the curved peripheries of said blocks into pressure-tight contact with the cylinder wall. ln the form of the invention herein shown, the portion of each sealing block 8 occupying a recess 4, is considerably longer and wider than the portion which fills the recesses 7 and I have also shown said first named portion provided with a transverse rib 9 received in a similarly shaped groove 10 in the bottom of the recess 4. lt will'be understood however that these details need not be followed too closely, as various modifications may be resorted within the scope of the invention as claimed.

I prefer vto use the improved sealing means with a two-part ring in which both sections are forced radially outward by asingle spring such as 6 acting on the centers of said sections, but it will be understood that said sealing means might also be employed in connection with other types of rings. When the spring 6 is used, it is pref- -erably housed in a tube 11 extending diametrically across the interior of the piston. A pair of suitably shaped heads 12 are slidably received in the ends of this tube and by suitable pins or the like 13 are connected with the ring sections 5 so as to prevent traveling of said sections in t-lie ring groove 3. The inner ends of the heads 12 are provided with necks 14 around which the ends of the spring 6 are positioned.

Regardless of the exact manner in which the ring is opened by spring action, the sealing blocks will be highly efficient to prevent the escape of pressure and the leakage of oil.

As any Wear ofthe ring takes place and it automatically moves outward to continually hug the cylinder Wall, the contacting'surfaces of the shoulders 7 and the sealing blocks 8 serve to automatically force said sealing blocks outwardly to the proper eX- tent, so that they alsoy Will remain in Huidtight contact With the Wall of the cylinder. The construction 'shown has been installed on a number of pistons and used With great advantage, and on account of the known efficiency of' the details disclosed, they are by preference followed. As above stated however it is to be understood that within the scope. of the invention as claimed, numerous minor changes may be made.

I claime- 1. A piston having a ring groove provided with a circumferentially elongated shallow recess in one of its side Walls, a springopened ring in said groove having meeting ends disposed at said recess, said ends being provided With communicating recesses opening through their peripheries and through the side of the ring facing the recess of the the piston, and an elongated sealing block snugly yet movably received in said recesses of the piston and ring and having a curved periphery colncldent wlth the ring curvature, the ends of said ring having shoulders bearing against the inner side of said sealing block to hold the same in cylinder-engaging position. i

2.. A piston having a ring groove provided in one side Wall with a pair of diametrically opposed shallow recesses elongated circumferentially, a ring in said grooveformed of two semi-circular sections'whose ends meet at said recesses, said ends being provided with communicating recesses opening through their peripheries and through the side of the ring facing said recesses of the piston, a spring extending diametrically across the piston and acting on the centers of said ring sections to force them against the cylinder wall, and a pair of elongated sealing blocks snugly yet movably received in said recesses of the ring and piston and having curved peripheries coincident with the ring curvature, said ring sections having shoulders bearing against the inner sides of said sealing blocks to hold the latter in cylinder-engaging positlon.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand.

MICHAEL HENRY SULLIVAN. 

